Inner Life, Talks and Thoughts

Ibn ‘Arabi is arguably the greatest philosopher in the Islamic world, though controversial; Seal of the Mohammedan Saints, as he is known, alongside Shaykh al-Akbar, he is becoming more important again, especially against a backdrop of fundamentalism.Born into a noble family in Anadalusian, Moorish Spain, he adopted the Sufi way of life after a revelation. He was to leave Iberia and travel east across the Islamic empire. But what was his core teaching and understanding? What can he teach others drawn to a mystical participation in life?

The first in a series of talks I’ll be posting in anticipation of my new book, Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination, out in June/Sept (UK/US).Do consider pre-ordering! (Thanks: it really helps early sales and so bookshop notice.)“The best overall study of Blake I have encountered in a very long time. A joy to read, well worthy of its extraordinary hero,’ says Rowan Williams.

The extraordinary spread of Islam after 632 - from Central Asia to North Africa in a century - reached Europe from the eighth century, generating issues still energising to this day. Not ones of religion, though, but of technology.Within a few generations, the devices of the new civilisation hit the Iberian peninsula: vertical axis windmills, the clocks of Ibn Khalaf al-Muradi, astrolabes.Anxiety about machines, remaining to the present say, was born. Were we becoming uncoupled from the cosmos? How might our existence relate to our essence? Can the human mind still fit the divine mind?But with the technology came ideas, those discussed and disputed by Al-Ghazali, Avicenna, Averroes, Thomas Aquinas - all drawing on “the first teacher”: Aristotle.Their questions about occasionalism, the eternity of the cosmos, and unified intelligence can help us now. These reflections reveal how existence flows from divine being, the momentary nature of time reflects eternity, many minds echo the one intelligence.Their work offers us imaginative, spiritual space to refind participation with spirit and God as the millennia-long story of the machine continues.

In this engaging conversation, Ashton Arnoldy, a scholar on Owen Barfield, dives into the relevance of Barfield's ideas in our secular age. They explore the integration of spirituality with modernity and discuss the challenges posed by dualism. Arnoldy shares poignant insights from a transformative ayahuasca experience, reflecting on consciousness and the divine power of language. Additionally, they address the importance of a moral ecological framework and reinterpretations of faith, highlighting Barfield's influence on contemporary spirituality and our understanding of identity.

Much of the modern world has become uncoupled from the transcendent in a cultural experiment Nietzsche called the death of God. But might this spiritual crisis prove to be a time of rebirth? In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon Dialogues, recorded live at an event organised by the Temenos Academy, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon discuss the evolution of wisdom traditions from west and east alongside the great modern enterprise called science and its continuing development. As the materialist, progressive ideology that has dominated the sciences for two centuries wanes, and as scientific studies show that religious and spiritual practices have major benefits for physical and mental health, what insights might we cultivate, as we live in and through these times?For more on the Temenos Academy - https://www.temenosacademy.orgFor more on Rupert - https://www.sheldrake.orgFor more on Mark - https://www.markvernon.com

Join Jason Baxter, a C.S. Lewis scholar and director at Benedictine College, and Nicholas Colloff, an insightful interpreter of Lewis’s works, as they delve into the profound ideas presented in Lewis's three key writings. They explore how modernity's detachment from objective values leads to a hollow existence. The conversation covers the dystopian vision of 'That Hideous Strength,' the transformative journey in 'Till We Have Faces,' and the need for emotional education to restore humanity. Their discussion reveals the timeless relevance of Lewis's critiques in navigating today's complex world.

Darwinian evolution shapes modern biology, but the notion of evolution has a wider history, too. In this episode of the Sheldrake-Vernon dialogues, Rupert Sheldrake and Mark Vernon explore linear and cyclical conceptions of human and cosmic evolution and ask what they can mean in the modern world, where innovation and evolution appear to be escalating. They consider the significance of two main principles within evolution, that of diversity and creativity, and how these elements can be embraced. They also ask about the difficulty of talking about evolution today, given the presence of intelligent design and creationism. An inability to discuss evolution in a wider context is a loss because evolutionary theory itself is sophisticated and interestingly contested, both in the realm of biology but spirituality: the so-called evolution of consciousness. The discussion includes the ideas of Pierre Tielhard de Chardin and Owen Barfield, Karl Popper and Henri Bergson.For other dialogues - https://www.markvernon.com/talks

Francis Lucille is teaching of Advaita Vedanta who brings together nonduality with science, amongst other subjects, his past having been in physics. Here, he talks with Mark Vernon about the universality of consciousness and how that fits with modern physics, theories of consciousness and the inspiration of wisdom traditions.For more on Francis see - https://francislucille.comFor more on Mark see - https://www.markvernon.com/0:00 Francis’s career in science and how that led him to nonduality10:05 From Krishnamurti to Jean Klein 13:59 The difference made.by quantum physics19:52 How pioneers. In quantum physics drew on eastern ideas22.39 The limits of science and where metaphysics begins32:11 Is there a science of consciousness?37:21 Consciousness as basic, matter as derivative39:06 Panpsychism and the thesis of emergence48:05 The difference between meaning and information53:13 The complexity of things and the simplicity of consciousness01:01:37 The One in ordinary things, everyday awareness01:04:41 Emanation in Plotinus, the dance of Parvati and Siva01:08:40 On being children of light in the gospels

In this enlightening discussion, Simon Critchley—an academic philosopher and author of "On Mysticism"—unpacks the intricate nature of mysticism and its historical figures like Mother Julian and Meister Eckhart. He challenges modern misconceptions, emphasizing the relationship between suffering, creativity, and spiritual experiences. Critchley explores Mother Julian's radical views on sin and divine kindness, and how surrender plays a role in psychotherapy, writing, and music. The conversation beckons a revival of mystical insights in philosophical discourse.

Nick Cave, the celebrated musician known for his profound explorations of faith and grief, joins historian Tom Holland, acclaimed for his insights on Christian values in modern society. They dive into why both artists are drawn back to Christianity, highlighting Cave's imaginative view of God and Holland's fascination with the weird and wonderful. Their conversation raises questions about the resurgence of interest in Christianity, emphasizing a faith that inspires imagination and opens the mind to the unknown, rather than mere numbers.